


Coming Home

by ficdirectory



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, Season 6 episode 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-10
Updated: 2010-12-10
Packaged: 2017-11-07 01:59:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/425666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficdirectory/pseuds/ficdirectory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>JJ goes to the annual BAU Christmas party, and is worried if she will still feel at home. **3rd Place: Best Team Fic in the CMFFAs of 2010**</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

This year, like every year, the BAU celebrated Christmas Eve together at someone's house. No matter whose, JJ always felt at home. And she always felt comfortable bringing Will and Henry, knowing they wouldn't feel awkward or out of place.

But this year, JJ wondered if _she_ would feel out of place. She had been at her new job for three months, and she missed her team so much. She heard they had new face around, and hoped that it didn't mean they would forget her.

This year, the party was at Garcia's. Her place was tiny, but super festive, with bright colored decorations, garland strung across the ceiling like a banner or a paper chain. Her tiny fiber optic Christmas tree had a single ornament: Big Bird in a Santa hat, who acted as the angel at the top.

There was no fence around the massive stack of presents, so JJ had brought her own baby gate. She learned quickly that she couldn't trust Henry around gifts.

"That mine?" he asked excitedly, pointing at Garcia's stack of red and green wrapped presents.

"That's everybody's," she told him, boosting the toddler higher on her hip. "Will, can you put the gate up before I let him loose?"

"Sure. Don't want him destroying anything before we-"

"My name _is_ Everybody!" Henry announced too loudly in JJ's ear.

"Okay! Thank you, Everybody. Can you take your coat off and ask Garcia where to put it?" JJ asked.

"Seeya!" Henry shrieked, running into the kitchen. "Where this go, please, ma'am?"

"Look, honey," JJ could hear her telling Kevin. "It's Everybody LaMontagne! My favorite godson!"

Henry giggled as Garcia covered his face in kisses. "I think Jack is going to be here very soon, okay? Why don't you go see if a Christmas show is on TV?"

"Jaje?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna come and help my man? The syrup for his French toast has one billion spices. None of them are cinnamon."

JJ leaned over the pot and took a tiny spoonful, nearly choking.

"God, Kevin, what did you put in here?" she gasped.

"All Spice. Nutmeg. Ginger. The usual holiday stuff," he said. Kevin was walking in the small galley kitchen, wearing a white shirt, green suspenders and a Santa hat.

JJ stared at Garcia in horror, which was hard to do because she was dressed so sweetly, in a matching Santa hat, and a red dress. "You'd be better just to start again. There's no saving this."

"God, I missed you," Garcia said, dragging out the words. "Work's so not the same without you there. We've got this new girl, and she almost got herself killed right out of the gate. Almost gave me a heart attack..." Garcia explained while JJ got to work dumping the old syrup and washing the pan to start again.

"Missed you, too," JJ said quietly. "Once a week for breakfast doesn't quite feel the same as seeing each other twenty-four hours a day. Try to cut the new girl some slack. We were all new once."

" _I_ never was..." Derek said, smiling, and pulling Garcia under the mistletoe for a kiss.

"Oh, sugar. Our love is always new to me," Garcia said, laughing.

"Hey, JJ. Good to see you," Derek said, still under the mistletoe, expectantly.

"Dream on," she laughed, stirring the pot on the stove. "Will's in the living room with Henry."

"Yeah, I noticed," Derek said, sending a look over his shoulder to where Henry had found Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and was loudly announcing every character's name and what they were doing.

"Hey, Derek? It's good to see you, too."

* * *

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" Hotch said. He got a look from Jack, and knew he was trying too hard.

Jack was having a rough holiday without his mom, and Hotch didn't always know how to make up for that. They had spent an hour just trying to get out the door, because Jack suddenly decided that he didn't want to go.

Hotch didn't know how JJ did it. Henry had shown up dressed in a nice green shirt, tan slacks and a tie with Disney characters on it. Jack had come in jeans with a hole in the knee, no shoes, and a tee shirt that said I'M THE BOSS. His hair wasn't brushed. Neither were his teeth.

"Hey, Jack," JJ said, getting down to Jack's level. "How are you?" she opened her arms, but Jack took a step away. "You know, Henry is really excited to see you," she confided in a whisper. He even brought you a present."

JJ watched as Jack sent a surprised look Hotch's way.

"You didn't tell me about the presents," he said, smiling a little.

"No, I didn't. It was supposed to be a surprise," Hotch said, sending a small smile JJ's way and nodding his thanks.

"Miss Jareau..." Jack said in his sneaky voice. "What kind of present did Henry get me?"

"I don't know," she said, pretending to be clueless. "Henry picked it out all by himself. In fact, he went to the store all alone. He got the dog to pull him on a sled all the way there, and then he got out, went inside the automatic doors and looked at everything he knew you'd like."

"Nah-uh!" Jack giggled.

"Come here, you," JJ said in a funny voice, that always won over Henry, even when he was in a bad mood. Then, she swept Jack into her arms, and covered him with kisses. "I missed you," she told him.

"I miss my mom..." he whispered in her ear.

"You know what? She misses you. And she's sending you this super-magic angel hug," she said, and squeezed.

"I can feel her…" he sighed, his little voice barely a whisper.

* * *

Rossi and Prentiss arrived one right after the other. Prentiss helped in the kitchen, and Rossi had Henry on one knee and Jack on the other, playing Pony Boy with them.

Garcia and Kevin were giving an impromptu performance of Baby It's Cold Outside, singing to each other as Derek heckled good-naturedly from a kitchen chair.

Spencer was late. JJ called him several times, and he said he was on his way.

"The French Toast is ready and the party's about to begin. Where is The Amazing Spencer Reid?" Garcia asked.

As if he had been cued, the door opened and Reid walked in.

"Hey guys. Sorry. Took a wrong turn."

JJ wondered if she was the only one who noticed how his mouth was tight around the edges. How he stood against the wall later, with his ankles and arms crossed.

"Are you okay? Are you hungry?" she asked, while Will took Henry to fill his plate.

"Yes and no," he answered shortly.

"You look uncomfortable."

"I _am_ uncomfortable. I spent 45 minutes trying to find this place with a pounding headache. I kept seeing my mother running down the street, calling to me in the rearview mirror..." he rambled, shaking his head, as if to clear it.

JJ blinked. Then she took him by the hand and pulled him into Garcia's bathroom - the only unoccupied place in the apartment. There was a mini-Christmas village on the tank of the toilet and gold garland and lights around the mirror.

"Are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head to study him. He was pale and sweaty, despite coming in from the cold. And there was something in his eyes.

JJ watched expectantly, but Spencer just stood there, biting his lip.

"Are you sober?" she pressed, wishing she didn't have to. But everything he was saying sounded like drugs to her.

"Yes," he said it calmly as he said anything. He looked clear.

"Well, then, what is it?" JJ crossed her arms and then thought better of it and laid a hand on his arm.

"I don't actually _know_..." he hedged. "I've been getting these headaches?"

He asked it like a question and JJ tilted her head again. "What kind of headaches? Like, migraines?"

Spencer bit his lip. "Can you not say anything about this? I don't want to ruin the party or Garcia's fun."

"You should see someone about it," JJ encouraged. "A doctor."

"Promise?" he pressed.

"Answer," she countered, crossing her arms. " _Will you_ see someone?"

Spencer grimaced. "I don't like doctors."

"Well, I don't like you having such severe headaches that you hallucinate your mother while you're driving. Does it still hurt? Do you want anything?" she asked before she thought better of it.

"No," he insisted, leaving no room for a pause after her question.

"Keep me in the loop?" she asked, and he looked confused before he nodded.

* * *

"Henry!" Reid exclaimed, grabbing him and making monster noises as he tickled.

"No, Spence! No!" he shrieked, trying to get away.

"Who wants presents?" Garcia asked. Their meal had been eaten. Visiting had been done. Rossi and Garcia had performed a rousing rendition of For Me, Formidable by Charles Aznavour. Everyone had clapped. It got better every year, since the first time, when they spontaneously burst into it three years ago, at the first BAU Christmas party.

"I do! I do!" Jack shouted.

Garcia smiled. They had also decided that presents were awkward, but they gave gag gifts to each other. Laughter was something they sorely missed in their line of work. Jack and Henry got genuine gifts, but not too many, as Hotch and JJ wanted to be sure that their boys weren't spoiled.

JJ sat with Henry at her feet, tearing paper and shouting happily. Will sat on the floor with him. Jack was showing Hotch a Rescue Hero action figure.

She watched Spencer wince across the room at the whoop that went up at Derek's gift. Somebody had found him one of those horrible Shake Weights.

"Okay?" JJ mouthed.

He sent her a tense smile and nodded.

"Liar," she insisted, still silent.

"Merry Christmas," he mouthed, and she nodded, praying that whatever was wrong, would be okay someday. Soon. But even with the hard times, JJ knew one thing for certain.

She was home.


End file.
